At the Zoo
by Rointheta
Summary: During a trip to a 23rd century zoo, the Doctor and Donna run into his eleventh regeneration — but why, exactly, is he wearing a baby? (Eleven x Rose)


**Prompt: **"Hey I was wondering, if you have time can you do a fic/prompt where Ten, post Doomsday, runs into Eleven and future Rose who are together (he never left her after at JE)"  
**Prompter: **anon  
**Note: **this is unbetad. I apologize for my mistakes!

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**AT THE ZOO**

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Donna felt something sharp jab her in the side, and jumped, nearly spilling her coffee drink all over her new tunic. "Oi!" She frowned at the Doctor. "Why are you stabbing me with your bony elbow?"

He broke out in a wide grin and held out his hands in front of him, showing her the assortment of treats he'd bought from one of the stands. "You wanted a snack, madame?"

"If you insist," she said, picking one of the chocolate and sprinkles covered frozen bananas from his left hand, and a small bag of crisps from his right. "What are those creatures called?" she asked, nodding at the colourful furballs running up and down a trunk inside of an enclosure in the 23rd century zoo she and the Doctor were visiting.

"Rainbow goblins."

She tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, nose scrunched up in disbelief. "Nah… Really?"

"It's true! See, on their planet there was this legend–" The treats fell out of his lax hands and crashed to the ground. He shook his head, face scrunched up, and stared at something behind Donna. "What? What? _What?_" She turned around to see what was upsetting him, but only noticed a young father wearing his chubby baby in a wraparound carrier. Eyes locked on his child, the man stopped a couple of metres from where Donna was standing and pointed at the furballs.

"You see, Elliott, according to an old legend on their planet these creatures were so happy once the rain stopped that they leapt across the sky, painting a rainbow…" The man trailed off, slowly turning his head to look at Donna and the Doctor with round eyes. "Oh, hello!"

"You're wearing a baby!" the Doctor said, pointing at the child.

"Oi! Manners!" Donna frowned at him. "I'm sorry for my friend. He's a little bit–"

"Oh, it's all right, Donna," the man said with a fond smile. "He's me."

"What d'you mean 'he's me'? How d'you know my name? Ooh, you mean… Noooo!" Gaping, she looked at the Doctor, at the man, then back at the Doctor. "That's you?"

"Seems like," he said, jaw tense.

She inched closer and poked the other Doctor in the cheek. He furrowed his brow at her, but the corners of his mouth curled up. She stepped back and put her hands on her hips. "Three questions. One: future or past version? Two: two of you in the same place can only mean one thing: disaster. So, how long until we have to start running? And three," she said, holding up as many fingers, "why are you wearing a baby?"

"Future version," the older Doctor said, "and, no, nothing disastrous. Maybe a teensy weensy paradox, but that's manageable. No need to run!"

"And what about the baby?"

"Oh, that. Well, I…borrowed it. From a friend."

"You _borrowed_ a baby?"

"Noooo," he said, eyes widening. "What's the other one? Eer. Baby-sitting!" He smiled and tossed his fringe out of his eyes by jerking his head backwards. "I'm baby-sitting!"

"Someone handed you their child and asked you to _baby-sit_?" Donna narrowed her eyes. "Did you steal that child?"

"Why would I steal a baby, Donna?" he asked, shaking his head at her.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe this regeneration is shifty." She leaned closer to her Doctor, but kept her eye on the shifty one. "How does regeneration work, exactly? Can you get even more bonkers than you are now? Does it get worse with age? He looks very young. Too young. It's creeping me out. D'you think you've got some sort of mid-life crisis going on? Is it a faulty regeneration? Why are you not answering me?"

Frowning, she turned to the younger Doctor to prompt him into replying, but he stood frozen with his mouth hanging open, glassy eyes directed at the baby. Donna waved her hand in front of his pallid face, but he didn't react.

"What's happening? Can only one of you function at the same time?"

"No. I think he's realised that Elliott is in fact mine." Baby-wearing Doctor curled his hand over the child's back. "Donna, I'd like you to meet my daughter."

"_Your_ daughter."

"Yes."

"No. No, I can't believe it! Don't tell me you stopped moping over Rose and got yourself a girlfriend! Or, ooh, is it like Jenny? Just a, ehm, generated anomaly?"

"No, there's a…mother. Anyway…" The older Doctor smiled at Donna and reached out his hand, cupping her cheek. "I think it's time for us to leave before–"

"Why are you cupping my cheek? You never cup my– Oh! If you're a future version, where am I?"

"You're at home."

She frowned. "You're telling me you got yourself a girlfriend and all of a sudden I'm not good enough to travel with you anymore?"

"Of course you are, Donna! And you do! Just not full time. You met a man, fell in love, and got married," he said, waving his hands about. "But you still travel. Of course you do. We went to Barcelona just the other day, as a matter of fact!" He shot the younger Doctor a quick glance. "The city. Not the planet."

"Oh, thank goodness." She touched her chest and breathed out in relief. "You had me scared there for a minute. I'm never giving up travelling! All right, then. Me and this one," she said, nodding at the younger Doctor and grabbing his hand, "we're leaving. I'm not ruining your daughter's first trip to the zoo!"

Before she'd had a chance to move, however, a young red-head stomped up to the older Doctor, cheeks flushed and eyes blazing.

"Doctor!"

He raised his pale eyebrows, turning towards her. "Pond! What is it?"

"Where's Rory?"

"How should I know?"

"You," she said, poking him in the arm, "were the one insisting on buying him 23rd century chocolate, even though you know he can't handle it, so he's _your_ responsibility. I can't find him anywhere! If he's climbed into the monkey enclosure and is flinging his own poo at people like last time, I'm bloody well making sure R–"

The older Doctor broke out coughing, drowning out several of the woman's words.

"–sleep on the sofa!"

Donna sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh, my god!"

The woman looked at Donna and the younger Doctor. "Oh, hello, Donna. Didn't see you there. Don't think you've met me yet? I'm Amy. I–"

"I fall in love and get married, and you go out there and find a new version of me and make babies with her? How sick are you?"

"What?" Baby-wearing Doctor said. "No, I–"

"Yes, you did! She's just like me! Bossy, loud, ginger, gorgeous, fabulous hair–"

Amy cocked her head, beaming. "Thank you!"

"Obviously, you were so heartbroken when I left you that you had to go out and find yourself a new Donna! What does future me have to say about all this, hm?"

"Oi!" Amy put her hands on her hips, glaring at Donna. "I'm not a new version of _anyone_."

Donna ignored the woman and shook her head at the younger Doctor. "I _knew_ you were looking to mate. I just _knew_ it. Elliott, Rory… How many kids do you have, anyway?"

"Rory's not the Doctor's kid. He's my husband!"

Donna blinked at Amy. "Your husband usually climbs into the monkey enclosure and flings poo at people?"

Amy sighed. "I probably should get on that, shouldn't I? Oh, well. Nice to meet you. And love the tie," she said to the younger Doctor, then stilled, staring at his suit. "Hold on. I know that tie. I know that _suit_! Raggedy man?"

"Yes, Amy. That's me before we met. Now, go find Rory, and I'll go find my wife before she shows up as well and makes this a little too interesting." He tilted his chin down, giving his younger self a comforting look. "Just keep on travelling. You'll meet her soon enough. Donna, make sure you two go back to the TARDIS and leave, will you?"

"Of course."

"I think," he said, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Elliott's head as he started to walk away from them, "mummy's at the unicorn enclosure with Brian and Melody. That sounds like fun, Ellie, doesn't it? Yes it does! I bet you five cuddles that Melody's already found her way inside and is galloping through the zoo on one of the unicorns, driving her poor grandad mental."

The younger Doctor stared at them for several seconds before breaking out of it with a shake of his head. He rubbed his face, running his fingers along his jaw and moving his lips without any words coming out.

"Doctor? Are you all right?"

"No. This isn't possible. I wouldn't– He's not that much older than I am. Five-six years at the most. It's not possible! I still– No. No, something's wrong. I need to go after him."

"No." Donna grabbed his arm and held him in place. "I'm sure he still loves Rose very much, but he's moved on. He looked happy, and you should be happy for him. For you."

"But…"

"You deserve some happiness in your life, Doctor. Just leave it."

"Donna, you don't understand. I have to–"

"No. No, you don't. C'mon, let's go back to the TARDIS," she said, pulling him along.

He stayed silent during their walk and she made no effort to get him to talk, but held his hand and gave it one or two comforting squeezes. They'd nearly reached the TARDIS when he stopped, wearing the exact same expression as he had earlier when he'd realised whose baby his older self was wearing. Donna followed his line of sight and noticed a familiar-looking blond woman walking beside an older man giving a five-year old girl a piggy-back ride.

The Doctor tightened his grip around Donna's hand and drew in a shuddering breath when the blonde ran up to a bench where his older self sat, bouncing Elliott on his lap. Leaning forward, she kissed him on the mouth, then settled down beside him and scooped up the baby. The younger Doctor's shocked expression softened into a tender smile when she cradled Elliott in her arms, tugged down the neckline of her top and helped her daughter latch on.

Donna regarded the woman for a moment, trying to place her, but she couldn't remember where she'd seen her; though, the Doctor's expression told her all she needed to know. "That's Rose, isn't it?"

He nodded.

"He said you'd meet her soon."

"Yeah," he said, voice hoarse. He cleared his throat and blew out a sharp breath, wiping his eyes. "Let's go back to the TARDIS. There's this place I've been meaning to take you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. A leisure planet called Midnight. Reckoned we could go now since our trip to the zoo got interrupted. They have a _brilliant_ spa."

"A spa," she said, nodding with her mouth curled down in appreciation.

He proffered her his arm with a wide grin on his face. "A spa. Sounds good?"

"Sounds bloody _marvellous_," she said, linking her arm with his. "Let's go!"

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**the end**


End file.
